


Usage Patterns

by apatternedfever



Series: 167verse [1]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe, Communication, Multi, The Quiet World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-18
Updated: 2011-09-18
Packaged: 2017-10-23 20:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/254559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apatternedfever/pseuds/apatternedfever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I love you, in 167 words or less a day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Usage Patterns

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the 167verse, inspired by Jeffrey McDaniel's poem [the Quiet World](http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-quiet-world/), in which each person can only say 167 words a day.

Peter is careful not to leave in the morning until he's said goodbye to them both. He uses as few words as he can during the day, but work has its demands and it's not unusual for him to have used them up by the time he comes back. He uses the first of his words with them, because otherwise he might not be able to give them any.

Elizabeth is careful with her words at work, and most of it is set up so that neither she or her clients need to use many: questions written on cards in her neatest script and books spread out so that everyone can easily point to call attention to something. She uses some of them, but most days she makes it home with more than half her words left.

Neal's usage isn't as easy to pin down. Sometime he's undercover and he doesn't get a choice, he ends up using all or most of his words on the job; some days he just can't seem to keep himself from talking, and he's frustrated as soon as runs out; some days he manages to only use a few and has almost his whole one-sixty-seven at the end of the day.

At the end of the day they come together. Sometimes they're silent no matter who has words left, and sometimes whatever words they have left are gone by the time they make their way to bed.


End file.
